Latest revision as of 18:52, 5 March 2019

The Scanderan wyvernling, or small wyvern is a flying predatory reptile that lives in the fields of Söderang and southern Erathia even if one can also find it in the southern most forest regions and the coastal regions of both Imeriata proper and Eteisrannikko while it also makes it's home in Sundet, jarnarna and Asterarna.

Etymology

Wyvernling
	File:Wyvernling.jpg
	A drawing of a Scanderan wyvernling
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	volanssaur
Genus:	Wyvernus
Species:	W.Scandera Minor
Binomial name
	Wyvernus Scandera Minor; Hylfred Görenssen, 1789
	File:Wyvernlinghabitat.png
	Habitat

The word wyvernling comes from the older Urmål word "wyvering"

History

Historically has the wyvernling been seen as a pest that posed a danger to younger kids and ones cats as well as chicken and geese. However despite this is it seen as good luck to have a wyvernling living in an orchard as it would keep birds and mice that would eat ones harvest at bay.

Taxonomy

Just as all flying reptiles so is the wyvernling qualified as a Volosaurus or a flying lizard where it was with it's larger cousin the wyvern classified as a Wyvernus.

Anatomy and health

File:Wyvernlingsize.png

Size compared to a human

The wyvern is a small creature roughly half a meter tall but with a meter long wingspan that it uses to fly over the large plains or the forests where it makes it's home. At the end of it's long tail is however the wyvernling's prime weapon. Just as it's larger cousins so is it outfitted with a stinger that can administer a poison into a prey or rival as the wyvernling flies over. While the poison hurts a human and can leave him knocked out of action for most of a day in excruciating pain so is it rare that a human or sentient species is killed by the wyvernling and only children, sick and old, ponies and haflings are in lethal danger from a wyvernling sting.

The scales of a wyvernling is greyish green even if the males of the species wears bright red stripes on it's head, back and wings which it uses to attract a mate.

Reproduction

Each winter so does the wyvernlings migrate to the warmer southern plains in Imeriata, Erathia and out on the Jarnarna to the south where they mate. Just like some birds so do the males chose a high position like a tall tree or a bush where he sits and sings a shrill song that is rather similar to Scanderan kulning and tries to outsing one another while the females flies around and often fights for teh right to mate with the loudest male.

Once the pair have mated so do the male follows the female and tries to intervene in any other mating she might try to engage in. However after the real mating games are over so do the pair stay close to one another and they help digging a hole where they buries their eggs. and leave them as they flies their separate ways come spring, which can be rather close as the south maintains large populations of wyvernlings as it is.

The young children hatch just after their parents have left them and they are forced to survive on their own in the large fields of the south where they hunt bugs and later on small mammals and birds like mice, rats and even badgers when they are large enough. However when winter comes again so do they join the mating rituals and leaves with the rest of the wyvernlings that have migrated south.

Diet

An adult wyvernling feasts on small mammals and birds that it hunts down with the aid of it's stinger and especially rodents like rats, mice, rabbits and hares are hunted by the flying lizard and it is not unknown to attack and kill young ratwolves and rabbucks. However it is far from uncommon that it also attacks lizards and amphibians.

Behaviour

The wyvernling is not a too aggressive animal and only attacks if it is provoked or cornered and prefers to flee from threats. However when it feels threatened so will it stand upright and extends it wings with it's tail pointing straight at the threat while it screams it's shrill sound to appear bigger and more threatening than it is.

The animal does not build lairs as it's larger cousins and it prefers to simply sleep in trees while it patrols it's territory. On ground so is the animal rather slow and clumsy but in the air so is it not only fast but also very agile and often preforms daring tricks. This is also used when it is hunting as it often circles around in the sky when it looks for a prey only to dive down and at the last moment extend it's wings and make a almost 90 degrees turn while it stings it's prey and in extraordinary speeds continues to fly in a straight line now diagonal to the ground before it once again lifts up into the air while it stalks it's dying prey.